Jan. 5, 2008
Box Score
CARBONDALE, Ill. -
Free throws and rebounds in the second half proved to be the difference maker as Illinois State (12-1, 2-0 MVC) won its second-consecutive conference road game over Southern Illinois (5-7, 1-1 MVC) on Saturday, Jan. 5 at SIU Arena. In a game that featured six ties and 10 lead changes, ISU made the final run in the end to claim the victory. Junior guard Kristi Cirone scored a game-high 27 points, one shy of her career-high, and added seven assists. Cirone was 10-for-11 from the free throw line, becoming the first player to achieve the feat since she did the same against Wichita State last season.
Senior guard Tiffany Hudson scored 19 points, including seven points in the last three minutes, and had six assists, her fourth-straight game with at least five. Sophomore forward Ashleen Bracey recorded her fourth double-double in the last seven games with 14 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. Sophomore forward Kenyatta Shelton had her best game since coming back from offseason knee surgery with season-highs of nine points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore guard Maggie Krick had a season-high eight rebounds, one off of her career-best.
The Redbirds had a dominant performance from the free throw line, shooting 25-for-30 in the game, including 19-of-22 in the second half. The Redbirds made their first 12 from the charity stripe in the second half and connected on four-straight in the final 11 seconds. The Redbirds outrebounded the Salukis 47-28, including a 27-12 margin in the second half.
"This was a great team win for us," said head coach Robin Pingeton. "We showed great poise and stayed the course. I don't think we have given up 42 points in a half all season and Southern Illinois was just more aggressive than we were in the first half. Our gameplan at halftime was very simple: we had to get in our defensive stance, contain dribble penetration and get better rotation. We knew that we had some more depth than they had and that was a big factor because they got tired down the stretch. We take a lot of pride in our rebounding, especially on the defensive end, and we did a much better job in the second half."
The Redbirds jumped out to a 17-8 lead in the first four minutes with some pretty passing, picking up assists on six of their first eight baskets. Hudson picked up two of those assists to Cirone on a three-pointer and a layup under the basket. Saluki forward Jasmine Gibson scored made her first three shots to provide six of the SIU points.
Down by eight, 21-13, Southern Illinois opened up a 21-6 run to take its first lead of the game, 34-27, with just under seven minutes left in the half. Southern Illinois rattled off 11-unanswered points during a four-minute stretch when the Redbirds missed five shots and committed five turnovers.
Cirone snapped the scoreless drought with a hard drive to the basket and a layup through two Saluki defenders at the 4:55 mark; and started a 10-2 Redbird run to regain the lead, 37-36. Cirone added four free throws during the spurt. Four-straight free throws by the Salukis put them back on top, 40-37, with two minutes remaining. The two teams traded baskets to close out the half and Southern Illinois maintained a three-point advantage at intermission, 42-39. It was just the third time all season that the Redbirds trailed at halftime.
The Redbirds started out cold from the field in the second half, missing their first five shots before Bracey nailed a jumper from the left side. Fortunately, Southern Illinois was just 2-for-8 to begin the period and could only extend its lead to 47-41. The Redbirds went on a 13-4 run to go back ahead, 54-51, with 13:08 left in the game. ISU made six-consecutive free throws during the run and freshman guard Shala Jackson contributed five points.
Southern Illinois came back to take a 59-58 lead, but the Redbirds continued to make a difference from the free throw line, hitting another six-consecutive free throws during an 8-2 spurt that put them ahead by five, 66-61. The Salukis clawed back into the game once again, outscoring the Redbirds 12-5 over the next five minutes to take their four lead of the game, 73-71, with less than four minutes remaining.
With the Redbrids down by one after a free throw by Shelton, Hudson single-handedly gave the Redbirds the lead. She connected on a three-pointer on the top of the key and then hit a fastbreak layup off a Cirone pass to put the Redbirds on top, 77-73. A jumper in the lane by SIU forward Jayme Sweere cut the lead to two. Shelton again made one-of-two free throws and SIU had a chance to tie the game with a three-pointer, but turned the ball over for just the third time in the half. Cirone made a pair of free throws with 11 second remaining, but Sweere connected on a long three-pointer with five seconds left to keep the Salukis within two. Hudson was fouled immediately on the ensuing inbounds play and iced the game with two free throws of her own.
The Redbirds open up their home Valley schedule against Northern Iowa on Thursday, Jan. 10, at 7:05 p.m.
